Belgian Chocolate
by BellaSWilson
Summary: BelgiumXBelarus. Belarus meets Belgium talking to Russia. What happens when Belgium decides that she MUST have her? Fail summary. Warnings: some language, girlXgirl relationships, mention of guyXguy relationships, crack pairing.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Hetalia. At all.

"Big broootherrr!" Natalia cooed at the cowering man before her. He was curled up on the cold ground, his hands trying desperately to shield his head from his terrifying sister. He was in a sort of upright fetal position, his knees tucked up underneath his broad torso, his weight being held mostly on the balls of his feet. Natalia stood over Ivan's shaking body, her knife drawn, only able to see his back and his large hands over his head. She smiled evilly. "Big brother, let's become one!" she suggested in a tone which, for her was cheerful, but for everyone else sounded more along the lines of psychotic.

"Please go away!" he responded, his voice stricken with fear. Natalia, used to his response, huffed and walked out the door, but not before reminding Ivan that he belonged to her. And no one else.

She stood quietly outside her brother's bedroom door. Why did he have to be such a jerk all the time? She couldn't understand it. Was she really so repulsive? She seemed to remember Ivan calling her pretty not too long ago. So what was the problem? All she wanted was to marry her wonderful big brother! Was that too much to ask?

Sighing, she headed off to her bedroom to think of ways that she could get Ivan to love her. Turning a corner in the hallway, she noticed Toris coming in her direction. _Oh great_ she thought. _Here comes my brother's annoying little lackey._ Why, oh why, couldn't he just leave her alone?

She kept walking, entirely prepared to ignore the brunet completely aside from a hateful glance when, as she knew he would, he greeted her cheerily. But, to her mild surprise, he did not greet her. He did not even notice her. She smiled inwardly at this pleasant change. It was so nice not to be bothered. Turning a corner through the cold hallway, she came face-to-face with her bedroom door and went inside. Natalia frowned when the light did not switch on as she tried it. Damned lightbulbs, always burning out.

Knowing that she was not tall enough to change it and that Ivan would never (willingly) set foot in her "lair" (as he so lovingly called it), she decided to ask for (demand) the help of the next tallest person in the house. "Estonia!" she screeched. Seconds later, a red-faced and panting Eduard came to her doorway.

"Yes, Miss?" he managed to wheeze out.

"Change this lightbulb," she ordered bluntly. Eduard's eyes swiveled up to the spent lightbulb, then back to Natalia, who was looking impatient with a hand on her hip.

"Of course, Miss," he said as politely as he could while gasping for oxygen. With that, he promptly darted out the door to find a replacement.

Satisfied, Natalia strolled over to her bed and sat down. Oh, she did so enjoy tormenting those pathetic Baltics. They were nearly as terrified of her as they were of Ivan, so whatever she asked of them was generally obeyed quickly and without questions.

At that moment, Eduard came back in, still breathing heavily, but this time clutching a lightbulb. "Hurry up," Natalia deadpanned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Belarus," Eduard apologized, still breathless. Natalia waved her hand dismissively and sat back, waiting for the blond to finish his job. She wondered idly what Ivan was doing at that moment. Hopefully realizing how much really loved his darling little sister.

Natalia's mind took off, imagining what would surely happen soon. Ivan would realize his awful mistake and come running to his little sister, begging for an apology. She would smile at him sweetly and immediately forgive him and– then what? Suddenly, her imagination was stuck. What do people usually do when they realize that they are in love? Kiss? She tried to bring the image up in her head. She could not do it. Oh, well. They were not like most people, anyways. Their love was obviously much deeper.

Being so caught up in her thoughts, Natalia had not even noticed that Eduard had finished, turned the light on, and left, shaking his head at his mistress' easily swayed attention as he closed the door behind him.

Natalia looked up, finding her room empty. As always. She sighed and flopped backwards on her bed, clutching her soft blanket in her dainty fists. She stared up at the ceiling and saw Ivan's violet eyes staring back at her. She smiled fondly at the poster. Natalia had a total of sixty-seven pictures of her brother in her bedroom, only nine of which were taken with his permission. Many of them were of him sleeping, his face peaceful and most likely dreaming of the sunflowers he loved so much. A few were of him in the shower, washing his hair or his body. But most of them were blurry or from the back where Natalia had had to sneak up on the huge country, otherwise he would simply cower and spend the next hour in his room, shivering.

She rolled over on her side and looked at a particularly old painting on the far wall. It was from the old days, when Katushya was still raising Ivan and Natalia. It was painted only a few months after Ivan had been given his scarf. His scarf which he loved more than his little sister. Natalia cringed.

She remembered posing for the painting. It had taken much too long for her tastes, and Ivan had kept trying to wiggle closer to Katushya, not trusting Natalia not to kill him. The painter had not failed to notice this. In the picture, Natalia saw herself only a few centuries old, staring gloomily out, her pale face looking very much like porcelain. Ivan stood next to her, but was staring at her in horror, clinging to his older sister's arm, hoping for protection. Katushya, however, was staring absent-mindedly at something else in the room.

Daydreaming was a trait which Natalia and her sister shared. Although she was quite sure that their daydreams were astronomically different. Katushya was weak and naive. She knew little of the world. At the smallest problem she would burst into tears. Natalia found her ridiculous. And it was NOT because Ivan loved Katushya more. No, it was because she was so immature and frail. Two things which Natalia absolutely was not.

Natalia sighed again. How could her big brother hate her? It's not as if she ever actually hurt him. Sure, there was that one time when she had caught him with Gilbert, but that was entirely his fault. She told him often enough that he belonged to her, so why on Earth would he try to be with someone else? It was completely beyond her. Besides, he wasn't hurt _that_ badly. He was only in the hospital for a few weeks! No big deal. Gilbert had had it worse, she remembered with a snicker. Stupid Prussian, getting in her way. He should really have known better.

"U-um... Miss B-Belarus?" came a timid voice from behind the door.

Natalia's eyes darted to the door. How she hated being interrupted. Oh, well. Might as well make Raivis wet himself. She quickly walked to the door and flung it open, putting on her most terrifying face. "What is it, Latvia?" She hissed down at the pathetic country, her voice like ice and steel.

Raivis visibly paled and shook more than usual. Whimpering when her gaze did not soften, he appeared to be extremely close indeed to wetting himself. Natalia smiled inwardly at his weakness. "L-L-Lithuania i-i-is c-c-c-calling f-for you, M-M-Miss, B-Be-Bela-"

"Oh, shut up," she cut him off, (and most likely finishing the job of making him soil himself) and stalked into the hallway. So much for not being bothered. When would that idiot realize that she was not interested? Shaking her head at her housemate's stupidity, she walked moodily to Toris' office, since that was most likely where he was.

As she opened the door, she was surprised to see not Toris, but Ivan. Peering in through a cracked door, she saw that he was not alone. He was talking to a tall woman with short blonde hair, a red headband pulling it up out of her eyes. She was focusing on Ivan as he spoke. Something about chocolate. Natalia's eyes narrowed dangerously. Who in the hell was this woman and why was she staring at Ivan. _Her_ Ivan? She glared for a second more before deciding to scare the slut senseless.

Sneaking up behind Ivan expertly, she pulled out her knife. (For intimidation purposes. Mostly.) Popping up behind him at just the right moment, she stared menacingly into the woman's eyes. "_He is mine_," she hissed threateningly. In response, Ivan jumped in absolute terror, trying to cover as much of his body as was possible with his hands and scarf. But Natalia just continued to glare evilly at the stranger. "What do you want?" she demanded as Ivan simply cowered in the corner. Much to Natalia's surprise, the woman smiled at her. _Smiled _at her!

"Oh, you must be Belarus!" she said cheerfully. Her voice was like honey- soft and gentle and sweet.

Natalia's eyes narrowed again. "I said, what do you _want?"_

"Oh I was just telling Russia here that my chocolates could help rid him of the cold!" the woman chirped airily. Chocolates? Who in the hell was this, a girl scout?

"Who are you?" Natalia growled.

The woman's smile grew, showing straight, white teeth. "I'm Belgium!" she declared proudly. Belgium, huh? She had definitely never met this woman before, but Natalia was sure that she had seen her once or twice at world conferences and such.

"Well, _Belgium_," she pronounced the name of the country with contempt. "I suggest that you leave before I hurt you very _badly_ indeed." At the word badly, Natalia's eyes glinted menacingly.

Natalia was shocked when Belgium only laughed in response. Who the hell did this woman think that she was, _laughing_ at her? "Right, right. I'm sorry. I'll just leave then," Belgium replied, still giggling a bit. Belarus watched the woman go, utterly confused as to what had just happened. Why did she laugh at her? That didn't make any sense. Natalia was quite sure that she was terrifying, so why would she be amusing to this woman? Did she have something strange on her face? She put a hand up to her face to check, but she did not feel anything. She shifted her gaze to the far wall which contained a small mirror. No. Nothing on her face at all. So why-?

"Please don't hurt me!" came Ivan's voice from the floor. Natalia looked down at the shivering mass in the corner. Who was-? Oh, right. She had forgotten that he was in the room. Wait, what? She had _forgotten_ that Ivan, _her_ Ivan was in the room? How strange. Generally speaking, she knew where he was at every moment. She shrugged and leaned down to "comfort" her older brother.

"Big brother, I would never hurt you," she said icily, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

When he felt his sister's hand, he immediately jumped up and fled. "Noooo!" he yelled as he ran from the room, utterly terrified, his arms waving frantically as he got away. Natalia stared after her brother, slightly annoyed that he would be so negatively affected by such a small, soft touch. Honestly, she was just trying to be nice to him! She had even _said_ that she wouldn't hurt him. How cruel. She dismissed the thought and decided to head back to her room. She was no longer in the mood to listen to the _idiot_ declaring his love for her. Again.

Oh no. Poor Latvia. Rate and review please!


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Holland?"

"Hmn?"

"Have you ever met Russia's little sister?"

"You mean psychobitch?"

Bella let out a small laugh. "Yeah, that one."

"Not really. I can't really say that I've ever seen her by herself before." Bella gave her brother a questioning look. "She hardly ever leaves Russia alone," he clarified. Bella gave a small noise of understanding, remembering how the girl had hissed about Russia being "hers". "Why?" inquired Lars. "You didn't run into her did you?" He looked suddenly worried for the safety of his older sister.

Bella gave another small laugh at this. "Actually, I did." Lars looked absolutely horrified at her ease in saying so.

"How are you still alive?" he exclaimed, throwing his long, thin arms around expressively through the air.

Bella smiled warmly. "It would seem she let me off with a warning." Lars, after calming down a bit, eyed his sister suspiciously. He seemed to be either checking for wounds or wondering which potion she had borrowed from England to knock out "psychobitch". Bella laughed aloud at her brother's face. His mouth was hanging slightly open and his eyes were narrowed in scrutiny. His blond eyebrows were furrowed above his long nose. "Oh, Lars. I promise. She didn't hurt me. Just hissed at me, is all. But it's hard to take someone so cute seriously."

Lars sputtered at this and his eyes widened in disbelief. " B-Bella! I know she's hot, but she's fuckin' terrifying!"

Bella snorted dismissively. "Watch your mouth. You're just a pussy."

Lars leaned back in his chair, pouting. "Hypocrite," he muttered. Bella just flashed him a cheeky grin. There was a moment of silence in which Lars stuck out his bottom lip in a (totally manly) pout. Bella's smile just widened. He sighed in defeat. "So what about her?"

Bella looked a bit confused. "What do you mean 'what about her'?"

Lars shifted in his seat. "Why did you want to know if I'd ever met her?"

"Oh!" Bella seemed to suddenly remember her original purpose in talking to her little brother. "I was wondering. Will she be at the next world meeting?"

Once again, Lars eyed her suspiciously. "Yes..." Bella brightened a bit. "Why?"

The blonde winked. "No reason," she said airily.

Lars narrowed his eyes dangerously at her. "Bella-" he began. But Bella cut him off, putting a slim, long-fingered hand in front of his face. He frowned at her. She simply winked and stood gracefully up out of her leather chair and flitted off, leaving her brother irked at her unwillingness to listen to him. He wasn't exactly the _voice of reason_, but Belarus? Really? Bella must be seriously insane. However, yielding to his sister's fancy as usual, he decided to ignore the whole thing and take a nap. So he stretched out his long limbs and folded his arms behind his head, his legs extending comfortably outward, and promptly went to sleep.

Bella, meanwhile, was on the phone with one of her subordinates, ordering some of her best chocolates. She knew for a _fact_ that Belarus was definitely not as insane as she seemed. If she were, Bella was sure that she would be in the hospital with multiple stab wounds right now. No. She had seen the way she looked at her from the doorway, the way her violet eyes had widened and then narrowed at her, moving critically over her whole body. Bella had felt those hard eyes on her. She wanted to feel them again, if only for a bit. She wanted to feel those small, porcelain-like hands, that long, wheat-blond hair...

"-Miss Belgium?"

"Eh?" In her thoughts, Bella had forgotten that she was on the phone.

"I said, what would you like inside those chocolates?"

Bella thought for a moment. What would Belarus like? Surely something very sweet. But what? "I got it!" she exclaimed through the silence. She heard the man clear his throat on the other end of the line. "Cherries," she declared with determination.

"Okay, so a dozen medium-sized dark chocolates with cherries inside?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Alright, we'll have them delivered to you tomorrow."

"Okay! Thanks, Marty!" The line went dead. Marty never did like her. Oh, well. _Oh, I hope Belarus likes chocolate. Not that anybody could possibly resist my delicious Belgian Chocolates._ Bella though smugly. This could go either very well or very badly. She hoped that it would be the former. This Belarus, even though she seemed to be infatuated (obsessed) with her brother, was very cute indeed. Bella wanted her. She _would_ win her. And she knew just who to talk to for help.

Finding the number in her cell phone, she called the man she needed to talk to. After a few rings, she heard him answer, "Allo?"

"France?"

"Ah, Belgique! Qu'est-ce que je peux faire pour toi?"

"Can I come over?"

"Oui, bien sûr."

"...Angleterre isn't there, is he?" Francis laughed on the other end.

"Non, he is gone. It is safe."

"Good. I'll be right there."

"See you soon," he replied. Bella nodded and hung up, already grabbing her keys.

"Oh, ma chérie! What can I do for you this lovely day?"

"Bonjour, France. I need your help with something."

Francis raised a thin, blond eyebrow. "Pray, tell. If it is something to do with l'amour, I will certainly be glad to help you!"

Bella smiled at her "cousin". They weren't actually related, but they shared a language, so they just called themselves cousins. "It is indeed about l'amour." Francis' smile widened at this. Bella thought for a moment. Where to begin? "Do you know Russia's little sister?"

Francis immediately frowned. "Oui, but I don't see why-"

"I want her."

The blond man seemed to visibly deflate at this. "W-Whatever do you mean, you silly girl?"

Bella leaned forward to emphasize her seriousness. "I want Belarus. Will you help me or not?"

Francis sputtered at the ridiculousness of the request. How could he possibly help her when Belarus was so in love with her brother and so- so- psychotic? "How on Earth do you expect to pry her from her brother's side? You have _met_ her, oui?"

Bella grinned. She had him now. "Yes, I have met her. Otherwise I wouldn't want her, now would I?"

Francis shook his head. "But you didn't answer my first question. What makes you think she will pick you over the man she has loved for centuries?"

"I have my ways," Bella replied with a sultry wink. Francis smiled weakly. Bella was not as _breathtakingly sexy_ as him, but he had trained her well and she seemed quite confident that she would get Belarus.

"Si tu insistes," he obliged with a sigh after a few moments of deliberation, bowing his head slightly at the chesty blonde before him. "So what exactly do you want me to do?"

"I need you to get her away from Russia. Just for a bit." Francis' eyebrows shot up.

"You do realize how difficult that will be, oui?"

"Oh, don't pull my leg, France. I'm sure you will find some way to do so," Bella pouted at the man.

Francis pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. How could he resist that face? "D'accord. But you owe me. Big time."

"Yay!" Bella cheered. "I'll take care of everything else, I promise!"

"Oui, oui," Francis said dismissively, waving his hand for the girl to leave. She smiled once again and flitted cheerfully out the door, leaving the long-haired blond to mull over what he was going to be doing in a few days.

Natalia could not believe what she was hearing. It was so... so...

Fantastic.

"So, Natalia-chan, that is why I can no longer love you," finished Toris.

"...So you are saying that you love Poland and therefore not me."

"Yes."

Natalia smiled. Just a bit. But inside she was laughing with joy. "That's wonderful. And don't call me chan."

"...You don't care?"

"Well, it makes me very happy if that's what you mean." Toris' face fell. Not because he still loved her, but the fact that he was ceasing his pursuit of her shouldn't have mad her _happy. _That's so harsh. Whatever. Time to go give Feliks a call.

Seeing that the long-haired brunet was done talking, Natalia spun gracefully on her heel, her navy blue skirt billowing out as she turned towards the door. Today was turning out to be a lovely one indeed. Not only was Lithuania going to leave her alone from now on, but she also got to meet that hot– wait, what? She definitely did not just refer to the woman from earlier as hot. No. Absolutely not. The only hot person in that office had been Russia... despite how... cold he is. Shut up. She didn't ask you, anyways.

Either way, Natalia was in a very good mood indeed, so she decided to go into the kitchen to look for some food herself, rather than making one of the Baltics do it as she normally would. Walking through the cold, white hallways of Ivan's enormous house, Natalia was even more pleased when she failed to come across a single person. Today was just getting better and better.

She entered the large kitchen with a rare little spring in her step. She was greeted with the dank scent of Russia's vodka and something else... what was it? Oh fantastic! Natalia recognized the smell of Ivan's (and therefore her) favorite food– Pelmeni. She smiled for the _third_ time that day (must be some sort of record) and strolled over to the tall black refrigerator.

Opening it, she was met with quite a lot of food. Stupid Raivis, never able to finish his dinner. Sure, Ivan staring at him as he ate usually ended in the loss of his fork because of the shaking, but that is beside the point. There was some sort of noodle soup stuck in the back– probably a few days old. To the left of it was the liver that Toris had made last night. Natalia shuddered, remembering the taste. She had never liked liver, but really, who did?

But there, in the side door, was the pelmeni. Picking up the container, she was surprised and pleased to find that it was still warm. It seemed that Ivan had made her favorite dish for her and left it as an apology for his behavior from earlier. How sweet of him! Picking up a fork from the rack of clean dishes (no doubt done by Eduard) and sitting at the counter, Natalia inwardly forgave her brother for his violent reaction. Biting into the meat-filled pastry, she noted that it being from Ivan only made it taste better.

As she ate, Natalia's mind could not help but wander to the woman from before. Her laugh was so... pretty.

"...Should we t-tell her?" Raivis asked Toris nervously. They were standing in the doorway, watching Natalia eat Ivan's food.

"I don't know. Russia's going to be pissed. But I don't think it's a good idea to stop her."

"Lithuania, what do we do?" Raivis was getting almost hysterical.

"Shh!" Toris silenced him. "I guess we'll just make more for him later." It was then that Toris noticed Raivis was staring dumbly at their mistress. "What?"

"L-look at her, Lithuania."

Toris shifted his gaze from the boy to Natalia, shocked to see a warm little smile lighting up her face.

"Have you ever seen her look that h-happy before L-Lithuania?" Toris shook his head speechlessly.

"No, I can't say that I have." The Baltics exchanged a confused and wondering glance. They had only seen Natalia smile a few times in all their years at Ivan's house. And it had never looked like _that_. It was usually cold and brutal and... to be honest, psychotic. But _this _smile, it made her look beautiful. It made the countries feel like going up to her and giving her a huge hug and giving her soft, fluffy toys as presents. But of course they knew better. They had no death wish, no matter how sweet she looked.

Toris stared at her for a few moments. "...Let's leave her alone," he said with a small smile. Raivis looked up at him and nodded, following him out the door just before Natalia got up from her seat to put her empty dish and fork in the sink.

Oh that's nice. Natalia's happy. Review, Bitte!


	3. Chapter 3

On Saturday morning, Natalia awoke to a very still, quiet sort of blackness. The only thing apart from her own breath that she could hear was the sound of the grandfather clock in the corridor. As usual, she had woken up much earlier than she would have liked to. She turned her head towards her digital clock. 4.37. It was so early. But then again, she rarely found herself asleep after five o'clock. She sighed irritably. She knew that going back to sleep would be impossible now. And the World Meeting would not begin until eight o'clock. Why did it have to start so late? She had over three hours of nothing to do now.

Almost mechanically, the blonde slid her thin legs out from underneath the warm blankets, only to be met with a rush of freezing air. She hated this house. The only reason she stayed was for Ivan. Everything was always so cold. She knew Ivan hated it, too. Probably more than she did. Standing up, the girl stumbled her way over to the light switch, ready and yet reluctant to start the day.

Honestly, she never really looked forward to waking up, but the days of World Meetings were the worst by far. She winced when she was temporarily blinded by the room suddenly being illuminated. Natalia despised World Meetings. The people near her would always either shiver constantly or ignore her presence entirely.

America would babble something random about being the hero. (Honestly, he was so predictable) England and France would disagree with his stupid ideas, look at each other, and then leave discreetly. Russia would sit as far away from her as possible, most likely next to Prussia. Ukraine would burst into tears. Canada would talk to America the whole time but no one would notice. Italy would declare something about pasta. Germany would scold him. Greece would sleep. Japan would watch. Spain would flirt with Romano and then call him a tomato when he blushed. Romano would try to headbut Spain, who would just laugh. Liechtenstein would hide behind Switzerland while he held his gun to his chest, ready to fire should any nudity happen to break out. Holland would babble incessantly to... Belgium. Natalia blushed, remembering having met Belgium officially just two days ago. Yeah... every meeting was the same. Maybe, with luck, this one would be different. As if.

Unhappy about having to go to the meeting, Natalia threw on her dress grouchily and fixed her long wheat-coloured hair with a large blue bow. Checking herself one more time in the mirror, she made her way to the washroom to brush her teeth. Everything was so routine nowadays. She _always_ woke up early. She _always_ dreaded the start of yet another boring day. Why couldn't more exciting and good things happen. The days were beginning to run together.

To be honest, Thursday was probably the most interesting day she had had in months. She didn't meet new people terribly often. Especially not such attractive ones... BAD NATALIA! NO! Stop thinking about her that way! Natalia nearly face palmed at the realization that Belgium was, once again, invading her thoughts. _She might as well just invade my vital regions._ Oh, God, she did not just think that! Natalia cringed and spit the toothpaste out harshly. Stupid Belgium, making her think such weird things!

Bella woke up refreshed, but rather earlier than normal on Saturday. Opening her eyes and looking out her window, she saw a faint sliver of light forming in the East. She smiled, sure that today was going to be a fantastic one. She looked dreamily over at her clock. 5.18. Wow, she really was early this morning. Oh, well. Today was going to be a good one, anyway.

She was extremely excited for the World Meeting today. Not only was she most _definitely_ going to get Belarus, but Germany was hosting it, so she didn't have to deal with any stupid time changes. People were very often late when America hosted the meetings because the time change got to them. And they hardly ever showed up when Canada hosted them. They always got lost. Really, you would think that after a couple of centuries they might remember, but no. Usually the only countries to show up were America, Prussia, Russia, Italy, and Germany. America and Prussia because they actually _remembered_ where he lived, Russia because he was dragged by Prussia, Germany because he was oh-so responsible, and Italy because he just followed Germany.

But today, there were no problems for Bella regarding time zone issues. Sure, some countries from other parts of the world would be late, but that wasn't what mattered at all. Bella practically giggled as she sprang out of her bed, her blankets flying off of her body. She pulled off her thin nightgown and headed off to the shower. She had to be fresh for today!

Bella walked cheerfully through the airy hallways of her home. The walls were a pale yellow and the carpeting on the floor was soft and thick. Bella loved her house. It was always so warm and inviting. As she entered the small little washroom, Bella was just giddy knowing how good today was going to be. She didn't bother to close the door behind her, as she lived alone and it would not make any difference anyway. She turned on the hot water in the shower first, to let it heat up. Once she saw the steam, she turned on the cold and allowed the water to get to just the right temperature. After a short amount of time, she deemed it satisfactory and stepped into the wonderfully warm water. She smiled contentedly as she felt the heat hitting her naked body, cleansing her of all the grime she had acquired over the past twenty-four hours.

When the tall blonde finished her shower, she walked into the kitchen (in a towel) to catch a bit of breakfast. Checking the clock, she found that it was now only 5.43. Why did time have to go so slowly? She shook her head inwardly and opened the refrigerator to bend down and check for food. As she reached to pull out a couple of eggs, she was surprised to feel (warm, very creepy) breath on her neck. At this, Bella immediately gasped, jumped up, and spun around violently, knocking over the man next to her.

"What the fuck France!" she shrieked, seeing her cousin on the floor, grunting in pain.

"Ugh, Belgique, ma chérie, you should really be more cautious."

"Maybe you shouldn't sneak up creepily on people!" Bella exclaimed, still shaken up.

"Onhonhon, well, in my defence, you were bent down and are wearing nothing but a towel," Francis pointed out, managing somehow to still be a pervert from the floor.

"Hmpf," Bella folded her arms stubbornly. "Aren't you with eyebrows?"

Francis grinned at this. "Oui, oui, of course I am. It is just fun to mess with my little cousin." He thought for a moment. "Well, it's usually fun. But I don't usually get bowled over when she freaks out on me."

"_That_," Pointed out Bella, "Is entirely your fault." Francis just shrugged from the ground and stood up, swaying a bit. She eyed him suspiciously. "So what do you want, anyway?"

Francis brightened, remembering his reason in coming. "I came to run the plan by you for approval," he said, smirking a bit.

Bella beamed "Oh, do tell."

"Are you ready, Miss Belarus?" Eduard asked his mistress politely, cringing slightly at the death glare he received in response. Today was going to be a long one. As Eduard held the door of the limousine open, Natalia slipped out gracefully, her head held high.

The past three hours had done nothing to ease her dread and disdain for World Meetings. Or life in general. Not that she had really expected them to. Why should three hours be any different from all the centuries of her life?

She looked up at the enormous building before her. The Messeterum. Second-tallest building in Germany. It was built in post-modern style, the sides straight until close to the tip, where they moved inwards in blocky, step-like increments. The windows shone in the warm sunlight and reflected the blue sky above them. They met here for World Meetings hosted by Germany because it was an office building. People came in and out every day, so large groups of people in suits and dresses (like the countries) were normal and therefore inconspicuous. They had to meet undercover for the most part because only a few humans (high-up government officials) knew that they even existed.

Sighing and preparing for the worst, Natalia followed Eduard and Toris (Raivis was busy cowering behind her with Ivan) into the tower. The inside was clean, but rather packed for Natalia's tastes. She enjoyed seclusion, and crowds made her skin crawl. _Well, let's get this over with. _

_Oh, come on! Where is she?_ Thought Bella. She was sitting next to Francis in the almost-full meeting room. She was scanning the room continuously for Belarus.

"Belgique, you must calm down," advised Francis, placing his hand reassuringly over hers, to which Arthur glared at the woman's fingers, apparently trying to set them ablaze. Noticing this, Francis smiled sheepishly and pulled back before giving Arthur a small peck on the cheek.

Bella smiled softly at the display, knowing that she would soon have the same sort of relationship. Well, hopefully not _exactly_ the same. She could do without Belarus smacking her every time she made a joke. Poor Francis. Englishmen can be so touchy.

"Ah, Belgium. Isn't that the girl you're waiting for?" asked Arthur, seeing a haughty-looking Belarus enter the meeting room behind Estonia and Latvia.

Bella brightened immediately. "Yes! Alright France, you remember the plan?"

"Ouais, ouais," Francis waved her off dismissively. He was only a little amused by the girl's excitability.

Suddenly, Germany's booming voice signalled the start of the meeting. "Sind wir alle hier?" Seeing the seats filled, the large man nodded. "Gut. Then let's begin, shall we?" And so the World Meeting began.

Woohoo! Germany! À la prochaine! Review, s'il vous plait!


	4. Chapter 4

At his brother's voice, Gilbert smiled wickedly, completely ready for what he was to do. It was going to be so awesome! He grinned over at Francis, who nodded before turning to face his whiny boyfriend. Let's see: skinny jeans? Check. Super tight shirt? Check. Underwear? Please, as if. Scarf? _Check._ Not many people knew it, but scarves were Ivan's secret fetish. Gilbert knew that wearing them just set the huge man off. He went absolutely nuts. It was awesome. Smirking to himself, Gilbert knew he was ready. He turned to his boyfriend.

"Ivan, I'm bored and that is so not awesome," he complained.

Ivan's gaze shifted from the younger of the brothers to the older. And his breath caught, just a little. He had sat down next to the albino when he came in, but absently so. He had not noticed just how _sexy_ the Prussian was looking today. Until now. Gilbert was wearing dark skinny jeans, showing off his long, lean legs and squeezing in just the right places. His shirt was just a bit too small and with the way that Gilbert sat, it rode up some, exposing a small section of his toned torso. And _oh god_, he was wearing a scarf. One that Ivan had given him a few Christmases ago. It was only very slightly worn, but it was off white and wrapped around Gilbert's long neck twice. _Oh, what he wanted to do to that neck right now._ But Gilbert's face just topped the whole thing off. He wore a slight pout and his eyes shone with what looked on the surface like apathy but was really lust. Ivan could see it, and he wanted it. _Oh so badly._

Gilbert could see Ivan eyeing him hungrily and he knew the plan was working. Awesome.

"You're bored, are you?" Ivan asked, leaning in a bit.

"I'm so bored," Gilbert replied, white face inches from Ivan's. "I've been _bored_ all day." Ivan smiled. He knew what "bored" meant. And it wasn't that Gilbert wasn't having fun. Quite the contrary really.

"I'm sure there is a way I can help with that, nyet?" Ivan whispered suggestively, raising an eyebrow. Gilbert's eyes glazed over a bit. "I have to go to the restroom," the Russian said, clearly meaning for his boyfriend to follow. Gilbert watched the man leaving the room. He knew it was just a plan to get Ivan away from his crazy little sister, but _damn_ the benefits were awesome. The red-eyed man waited for a short while before following Ivan out to... _relieve his boredom._

"Wow, that worked even better than I thought it would," Arthur said, blinking owlishly.

"Oui, it was very fast. But what can I say? You are much too good at making Gilbert look sexy, Angleterre."

"S-shut up, France!" Arthur protested, his cheeks colouring. Yes, it was indeed Arthur who had dressed Gilbert. And what a pain it was. Nothing was ever _awesome_ enough. It was a good thing that _former_ countries were not required to wear suits. They weren't technically required to attend World Meetings, either, but whatever. Gilbert still came to them, anyway.

Francis laughed airily. "Ah, so cold, mon amour!"

"Whatever!" snapped the Brit. "Next part of the plan, please?"

Across the room, Natalia was sitting gloomily in her chair. She had seen Ivan and Gilbert leaving. Of course she could guess what was going on, judging by the way that they had been looking at one another. _Dammit_, Ivan always abandoned her. Every time. And there didn't seem to be a thing she could do. Especially not here. Making a scene at a World Meeting would be extremely dangerous for her. She was not a particularly strong country and, should she offend anyone, she would not be able to support much of a war at the moment. Especially since she would likely have no allies to back her up.

So she had let them go. What that meant, she wasn't sure. But she could only watch despondently as the countries of Russia and Prussia left the World Meeting to go fuck in a restroom. To be honest, Natalia wasn't even sure why she bothered anymore. It was clear that Ivan would never love her. But she had wanted him for _so_ long. Even so, she was not sure that she actually wanted him anymore. How could it be that she wanted him when she could simply sit and watch him go off with gilbert? How could it be that she wanted him when she could no longer see in her mind's eye the most intimate scenes of their love?

But where else could she possibly go? Who else could she possibly want? Ivan was the only person she had ever loved in her life. Giving that all up seemed a monstrous task. She was so full of questions, but she had no one to answer them for her. So she buried her face in her hands.

"Aaanndd... _now_," came Francis' command.

Arthur nodded, obedient for once. "**YOU BLOODY FROG! YOU DISGUST ME!"** he yelled almost at the top of his lungs, standing and very noisily interrupting whatever idiotic rant Alfred had been going on.

"Iggy?" the tall blond said worriedly. "Are you oka-"

But he was cut off by Arthur pouncing violently on Francis, looking very much like he wanted to kill him. Almost immediately, the surrounding countries went into a frenzy. They were aching for some excitement. World Meetings are boring. Many jumped into the scrap. A few backed off, horrified. Some watched in amusement. But the plan was in motion now.

Bella smiled as she made her way through the mad crowd. _Man,_ she was such a genius. Spotting her target, she sped forward, ready to catch the girl by surprise. "Belarus, we should leave," she said smoothly, grabbing the young lady's slender arm.

Natalia looked up at her new visitor and jumped back. What made this woman think that she could just go grabbing people's arms out of nowhere? Oh, wait... this was the girl scout (as Natalia had dubbed her) from the other day. What did she want?

"Come on, it's not safe in here," Bella insisted, pulling on the blonde's arm once more, surprised to find that she only put her head down and followed passively. Was it really going to be that easy? The taller woman pulled her complacent companion safely through the riotous crowd, now even more exuberant. She noted that Francis and Arthur had snuck off to a corner and were observing their handiwork with matching smirks.

They exited the noisy room and entered a small, quiet waiting room. The walls were a faint off white and the floor was a very bland sort of greyish-brown. On the right side of the room sat a little grey bench. Perfect. "Here, sit down," Bella instructed her companion gently. Natalia obeyed quietly. Why wasn't she protesting? They sat there for a few moments, Bella unsure of what to say to the girl. _Oh, well done. You planned everything out except for what to say to her. Idiot._ Natalia gave a small sniff. She was so unbearably close to tears. "H-hey, are you okay?" Bella asked, noticing the other's distress.

At this, Natalia broke and burst into tears, allowing herself to cry in front of another for the first time in several hundred years. Alarmed, Bella sat quickly next to the weeping girl and wrapped her arms around her, attempting to comfort her. They sat like that for some minutes. Bella held Natalia tightly while she shook and cried profusely. This was not at all what she had planned. Natalia was supposed to be wooed and happy, not crying her eyes out as if there were no tomorrow!

"I-I'm sorry," Natalia gasped quietly after she had gained some composure. Bella pulled back and looked at the girl's tear-stained face. She was still hiccupping slightly, but she had calmed down for the most part.

"Is it Russia?" she asked gently.

Natalia looked up weakly at the woman in front of her. _The way she was looking at her._ She looked away, the tears finally stopping. "Yes."

Bella nodded slightly, understanding now why the girl was crying. It was her fault. "Is it because he went off with Prussia?"

The girl in the blue dress shook her head in confirmation of this. "He always leaves me. No matter what I do, he leaves me." She could feel fresh tears welling up.

Bella moved her hand to softly cup the girl's face, making her eyes meet hers. "I think it might be time to move on," she said simply.

Natalia knew that already and nodded, averting her eyes from the older woman's. Suddenly, Bella remembered why she had done all of this in the first place. "You know," she started, letting go of the girl's face. "Whenever I need to get over something, or some_one_ for that matter, I have a special thing that I eat."

"What is it?" Natalia asked quietly, genuinely interested.

Bella gave the blonde a 4000-watt smile. "Chocolate," she replied, more than a hint of pride in her voice.

Natalia looked sceptical. "Chocolate?"

Bella nodded happily. "Trust me it helps. Here, I have some. Take a piece!" She pulled a small black box out of her bag and deposited it lightly in Natalia's lap.

She still looked unsure, but took out a piece anyway. "Euh... thanks." Bella smiled again, more gently this time. Natalia put the candy to her mouth and took a tentative bite. It was delicious. Without even a second thought, she popped the whole thing into her mouth, savouring the taste. It was dark chocolate, which was her personal favourite. It was slightly bitter, but was sweetened by the filling. Some sort of fruit. It tasted familiar, but if she had ever had it, it had been a long time ago. What was it? Raspberry? Strawberry? No... _crap_, it couldn't be. "Belgium?"

"Yes?" Bella replied, looking at her with happy eyes.

"What kind of fruit is inside these?"

Bella grinned again. "Cherries."

_Shit, figures._ "You may have to take me to the hospital."

Bella looked completely puzzled, her smile gone. "Why?"

"I'm allergic to cherries."

Oh no! This one seemed pretty angsty for Natalia. What do you think? Tell me please! Bella loves reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait what?" Bella looked absolutely horrified. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung slightly open. She was staring at Natalia and if her eyebrows had been any higher, they would no longer be on her forehead.

"We _really_ have to go to the hospital. I don't usually eat cherries so I don't carry an EpiPen, but my throat closes up." Natalia was beginning to sound a bit panicked. Bella stared at her in silence, unsure of what to do. "Please! We only have a few more minutes before I start to _suffocate._" Her throat felt like it itched already. _Dammit, why cherries?_

Bella gaped at the girl for a bit longer before coming abruptly to her senses. "Right! Yeah! Come with me." She jumped up, grabbing Natalia's arm in the process and wrenching her (lovingly) to a standing position. Natalia cried out a bit as she was dragged toward the elevator. Fortunately, it was only about 9.00, so the elevator was free for use. Bella pulled the girl in and quickly pressed the button that said "Ground Floor". The doors closed and the two were trapped. _Together. Now's my chance. No! Her throat is closing! This would be an awful time to make a move!_

Bella's eyes shifted over to the smaller blonde. Natalia's face was drawn and tight, her violet eyes looking straight forward. This elevator was so _quiet_. It was unsettling. And then Natalia coughed. "Oh no! Are you okay?" Bella was panicking.

_Wow, she's so worried._ "I'm fine. It was just a little cough. When I start wheezing, _then_ we're in trouble." Bella breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the elevator lurched to a halt and the doors opened. At this, the Belgian grabbed Natalia's arm again. "Belgium, I can walk by myself," she protested lightly.

The woman looked back at her companion, who was... _pouting? So... Cute..._ "Aha~ right. Sorry. Let's go!" she replied after a moment, letting go of the girl's arm. So the two strode quickly out of the office building to Belgium's personal car, which was a lively blue. The front was slightly elongated, creating a sort of 1960's effect. The windows were tinted and a license plate on the front indicated that it was, in fact, Belgian.

"You have your own car?" Natalia asked curiously when they had settled in.

"Yeah, of course. You don't?"

Natalia shook her head. Her throat was definitely starting to twist. "No. I ride with the Baltics. And my... brother." She looked down at this, and Bella immediately felt guilty for even asking.

"I see." There was an awkward silence in which Bella tried her hardest to stare at the road and Natalia scratched absently at her neck, which was now starting to feel rather tight. Bella saw this motion out of the corner of her eye and was suddenly _very_ happy that Ludwig had demanded that she learn the city surrounding the Messeterum. She knew exactly where the nearest hospital and that it was only a few minutes away.

Just as they were approaching the hospital, Bella could suddenly hear Natalia's wheezing. "Oh crap, that's the wheezing, isn't it?" she asked, her brows furrowed with worry for the girl. Deciding that it would be best not to irritate her throat by speaking, Natalia simply nodded. Bella quickly found a parking spot and stepped out of the car. She opened Natalia's door for her and began to step back. Suddenly, she had a thought. "Will you be okay walking?"

_Would I be okay walking? Breathing is getting _very_ hard. And having to walk around would probably make it several times worse. But honestly, what else could I do? It isn't like_ _Belgium would _carry_ me or– _"Wah!" Natalia cried out. Bella, seeing her deliberation, had decided that Natalia was, in fact, not willing to walk, so logically, she would just carry her. And so Natalia was being carried bridal-style, her arms around the Belgian's neck. Her legs were hanging over the woman's arms. _Okay, never mind... She's _really_ strong! _

Bella moved forward, looking completely unfazed by the nervous little weight in her arms. She made her way through the hospital doors easily. Actually, to the receptionist, the woman's entrance was quite extravagant. A tall, blonde woman burst through the doors into the quiet waiting room wearing what the receptionist recognized as a tan Belgian military uniform. Her short blond hair was held back by a deep red headband and she wore tall military boots. In her arms was a frightened-looking girl. She looked to be about eighteen and she wore a long, blue dress with a white apron in the front. On her head sat a large, blue bow, which, frankly, made her look positively adorable. The tall woman was looking wildly about, presumably for her.

"Hey, we have to see a doctor !" Bella shouted shamelessly in German at the poor woman behind the desk. She saw annoyance flash in the brunette's eyes, but she politely told her to fill out the form anyway. Bella gently sat Natalia down in one of the uncomfortable-looking chairs and grabbed the paper from the desk. As she filled out the information, she could see Natalia's breathing becoming more and more laboured. So she sped up. When she finished, (much too slowly in her opinion) she practically threw the paperwork at the receptionist, who had already called the first available nurses and doctor to come retrieve the wheezing girl.

The three came out quickly, the nurses wheeling a stretcher. _How unnecessary_, thought Natalia. _But, I guess I _did_ just get carried in here._ She blushed a bit at the thought. She had been rather disappointed when Belgium had put her down. She rather enjoyed being treated like that. Like she was a princess, almost. But Natalia's thoughts were interrupted by hands lifting her onto the stretcher. She blinked and saw the ceiling rushing by above her. The wheels were awfully squeaky. Turning her head a bit, the Belarusian could see faces of two nameless nurses. They were the ones pushing the stretcher. Was it always this hard to breathe? Looking off to her left, Natalia caught sight of the woman who had caused all of this. She was staring at her intently and her lips seemed to be moving. Her eyebrows were furrowed with worry. _Belgium_. _I wonder what her human name is?_ And then her vision went black.

"I think she's unconscious!" Bella said loudly (and unnecessarily).

One of the nurses, a small woman, responded, "She is. But don't worry. She will be fine. You brought her early, so there should be no problems." Bella stared at the woman for a few seconds as they walked/ran through the white hallway. She was helpless as they entered the sterile room. She watched as they lifted the unconscious girl from the stretcher and into the bed, almost immediately giving her some injections of mystery liquids.

"What are you giving her?" Bella asked worriedly from the back of the room.

The larger nurse looked back at the forgotten woman. "Epinephrine and an antihistamine. They will reverse the effects of the reaction."

Bella sighed, relieved. Now all she had to do was wait while the girl was monitored and revived. _Ugh, I did this. It's all my fault! I shouldn't have given her cherries! But how was I supposed to know they could kill her? Bella, you idiot!_ The Belgian put her head in her hands as the nurses and the doctor worked on the other country. She could not believe what a stupid mistake she had made. She wallowed in self-pity for about ten minutes before falling asleep to the various beeps and shuffling sounds of the hospital.

_Looking around her, Bella could see plain, off-white walls. As her eyes focussed, a large, well made bed came into view. The bedding of that, too was off white. Everything was so blasé here. There was little to no decoration. Where was she? Peering around, she spotted a full-length mirror on the far side of the room. Actually, there was someone in front of it. Who was it? It looked like a woman. She was large, but she was wearing a small french maid outfit. It could have been very sexy... on someone else. Her long legs were exposed and she wore frilly high heels. She had short blond hair, even shorter than her own. It was messy and had no real structure to it. It was almost like a man's. Come to think of it, those shoulders were _really_ wide. "Excuse me? Where am I?" Bella asked politely. The person in front of the mirror turned around and Bella choked. "GERMANY?" "Oh, hello Belgium," Germany said casually in his deep voice. Just then, North Italy, Feliciano, came skipping in wearing a sinful leather outfit, complete with a collar and whip. "This is not happening!" Bella thought out loud. "Vee~ Ludwig! Your dress is so pretty!" Feliciano cooed to his boyfriend, who smiled playfully at him. "Ohgodohgodohgod Get Me Out!" Cried Bella. "Vee~ Belgium, what's wrong? Belgium? _Belgium?"

"Belgium, wake up." Bella opened her eyes frantically, not wanting to see Italy whipping Germany. At all.

"Oh my God, Belarus! I'm so glad it's you! I thought I was gonna have to see Germany in a maid outfit again and Italy was going to whip him and I was going to have to watch!" Bella babbled to the girl in front of her. She clung madly to her shoulders, terrified that she would have to see Germany like that again.

Natalia smiled. _Looks like she had a funny dream. Of Germany in a... maid outfit?_ She started to laugh at the image of the large, muscled man in a maid outfit. Frankly, it was hilarious to her. And so she laughed. Harder than she could remember laughing in much too long.

"Belarus?" Bella asked, sounding worried.

But Natalia just continued to laugh hysterically. And she was shortly joined by Bella, who had realized that what she had experienced was, in fact, a dream. The two countries sat like that for several minutes, giggling uncontrollably in an empty emergency room at the thought of Germany in a dress. When the snickering finally settled, Bella commented thoughtfully, still chuckling a bit, "You know, that's the first time I've ever seen you smile, much less laugh."

Natalia took this into consideration. It was very likely that what the other country said was true. She rarely got to smile or laugh at much. "I guess -ha- your dreams are just -ha- too funny," she replied. Bella looked at her and they both smiled again.

"I'm glad." And she innocently grabbed the hand of the girl sitting next to her. Natalia just blushed and continued to smile before staring dreamily off into the distance.

Ahh~ so sweet. Thank you guys so much for your reviews! I thought perhaps my story was no good because no one was reviewing, but you have made me smile. Keep it up please! I'm sorry, I have absolutely _no idea_ how German Emergency Rooms operate. Since I have yet to go to Germany. Or an Emergency Room, really.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been almost two weeks since the last World Meeting and Raivis was becoming very concerned for his mistress. In twelve days, she had not attacked Ivan even once. He was sure that Ivan was becoming very anxious as well. She still ordered them (the Baltics) around all the time, but her orders had lost some of the ice they had previously held. She had been telling them to do things that she needed done. Not just things that she wanted to humiliate them with.

Once, while she had been in her office reading, Raivis had walked by the open door. When he looked inside, he saw her _smiling_. And not that sadistic smile that usually adorned the girl's lovely face. The same smile he had seen with Toris two weeks ago. The one that she had worn while she ate pelmeni and believed no one was watching. And he had seen it again just this morning. Natalia had been on her laptop, typing away, most likely an email to her boss. She smiled so rarely that seeing her lips curving gently upward shocked the poor little country.

Curious little Raivis could not help but wonder what had happened at the World Meeting. He had not seen Natalia leave in chaos of the brawling which had broken out, but once it had calmed down, they had found her, Belgium, Ivan, and Prussia to be missing. Where could the four of them have possibly gone? Ivan had said nothing and had come home with them. He and Prussia had come back into the meeting room about ten minutes after the fighting had stopped.

But Belgium and Natalia had never come back to the meeting. Actually, Belgium had brought Natalia back home hours after the meeting had ended. Looking out the window at the two parting, Belgium appeared to be apologising profusely while Natalia shook her head. He had been unable to see her face, but Raivis had sensed no anger. It was so strange. Natalia, the country of Belarus, rarely talked, but when she did, it was generally with total apathy, seething anger, or terrifying possessiveness. (This was generally used in reference to Ivan.) What could possibly have happened with Belgium that Natalia spoke to her so civilly and... kindly? It seemed so out of character for her to Raivis that he wondered if Natalia did not have some ulterior motive. Some mad, elaborate scheme to reel in Ivan. What Ivan had to do with Belgium, Raivis had no idea. What Raivis did know, however, was that something was going on with Natalia and he was _not_ going to get involved.

"'Van, you just gotta calm down," Gilbert asserted, trying to calm his frantic boyfriend.

"I can't! I just know she's going to try something and... and Я боюсь!"

"What the hell makes you think something like that is gonna happen?"

"Gilbert, you don't understand. She hasn't tried anything in two weeks. Two!"

"How is that bad? That sounds fuckin' awesome!"

"How? She's planning something! I know it! And after two weeks it's going to be huge!" Ivan was nearly in tears now, so sure he was that his sister was going to kidnap him any day when he let down his guard.

Gilbert shook his head. He knew why Natalia had done nothing. Because Belgium did an awesome job of wooing her, that's why. But he wasn't sure if he was allowed to tell Ivan about the plan that he had been involved in. So he said, "Well maybe she's just decided that I'm awesome enough for you and now she's gonna leave you alone."

"Don't be so stupid, Gil!" Ivan cried. Natalia _had_ to be planning something. "She just wants me to let my guard down and then she's going to drag me away in my _sleep_!" And then he started crying. He was a big man, but believe it or not, Ivan burst into tears rather often. _Tonight is going to be so un-awesomely long, _thought Gilbert ruefully.

"Wow, you nearly killed her and now you're going on a date?" Lars shook his head incredulously. Honestly, he could not believe his little sister. How did she do it? The idiot gave Belarus cherries, which almost suffocated her because she was allergic, took her to the hospital, and then got to go on a _date_ with her? How lucky could she be. Then again, maybe not so lucky. Belarus was still totally terrifying.

Bella nodded her head proudly. "Yep. I got an email from her this morning. We're going out in two days." She was so excited. She had been worried at first that Belarus would simply forget about her and go back to her brother, but, three days after they had parted, the girl had apparently gotten her personal email address out of someone and sent her a message.

Lars let out a quick breath. "How _do_ you do it?"

Bella giggled a bit. "I have no idea but it rocks anyway."

Natalia was still not entirely sure why she had done it. Why she had forced the woman's email address out of Eduard in the first place. She really didn't know. She remembered being quite happy spending the day with Belgium. She remembered being disappointed when she took her back home. She remembered thinking that it was ridiculous for Belgium to apologise, as she had done nothing wrong. And Belgium was most all she remembered of the three days after that. The tall Woman had not been there. _Technically_. But Natalia had just kept _thinking_ about her. It had been driving her mad. She just felt that she needed to see her again. Why... well she just didn't know that either.

So, on the third day after the World Meeting, she had forced Eduard to find out Belgium's email for her. It wasn't like it was hard for him, anyway. When he gave it to her, about ten minutes later, she wrote it down and sped off to her office to send her a message.

She was unsure of what to write so she had simply said, **"Hello Belgium. This is Belarus from the World Meeting. But I'm sure you knew who I was... Anyway, I thought that, since I kind of enjoyed talking to you the other day, I would email you. I don't really know how busy you are, so I hope that it wouldn't inconvenience you at all. But I would like to hear from you soon." **

Even as she had pressed send, Natalia could not look past how awkward the message sounded. She was like a bumbling child. How humiliating. But she had sent it, and that was all there was to it. Belgium would either answer or ignore it, and Natalia didn't really have anything to lose. When she had checked her email again a few hours later, she was surprised to find an answer already.

"**Oh, wow! I was beginning to think you had forgotten me! Yay, I'm glad to hear from you. I'm not usually that busy, so emailing back and forth should be no problem at all. You really enjoyed talking to me? That's so sweet! :D Thanks for contacting me! -Belgium"**

As much like a child as Natalia had thought her message was, it was most certainly outdone by Belgium's. Honestly, how old was the woman? She was so cheerful. Was it even possible to be that cheerful? But she replied to the message politely and reservedly, as she usually spoke when talking to strangers.

And they continued like that for several days. Belgium was always much too excited to hear from her, and Natalia would smile inwardly at her immaturity, then respond quietly and politely. But, somewhere along the line, Natalia's messages became more relaxed, more intimate. And every day she seemed to think of this woman more and more. She had contacted her to get this out of her system, not to make it worse. But honestly, she was enjoying herself quite a lot. And so, she had finally steeled herself and sent her this message: **"Hey Belgium. I was just wondering. Since we talk so much over the internet, we should meet again. You know, in person. Like... a date. Unless you don't want to go on a date. I mean, that would be fine. But I was thinking we could go do something on Saturday. Like a knife expo or something. Wait. You probably wouldn't enjoy that so much. Maybe a theme park? What do you say? Ps: I hope this isn't too brash or anything. I just really like talking to you." **

Within less than an hour, Natalia had received a very excited reply from Belgium. **"A date? That sounds awesome! Yeah, I probably wouldn't enjoy a knife expo. But a theme park sounds like tons of fun. Yay I'm so happy! How about Bobbejaanland? It's my favourite place ever. Sooo much fun. So how does eleven sound?"** _Wow, she actually accepted. This is good, right? Right. Theme parks are fun._

"**Good, that's relieving. Eleven is fine for me. You will be picking me up at my house, yes?" **

Almost immediately, Natalia heard the beep that indicated that she had a new message. **"Yep. I'll come pick you up at 10.30 and then we'll go. Ooh this is going to be so fun!" **

_Childish, as ever._ But Natalia smiled at the woman's enthusiasm. Were those footsteps outside her door? Oh, never mind. She was feeling very good right now and it didn't really matter to her who saw it.

I hate theme parks. But I thought it was a cute idea for them. I won't be able to post tomorrow because I'll be busy. Maybe just a short drabble or something. We will see. But, either way, I love reviews and they make me very happy. Oh! I meant to mention: Nimhe Zehir and her friend Emrys thought it would be a nice idea to draw the scene where Bella carries Natalia into the hospital. And I agree. SO! If you can draw and would like to re-create that scene (or any other from this fic) I would absolutely love to see it! Bis Montag!


	7. Chapter 7

Oh God, how had she ended up like this? With stupid, irrational, impulsive mistakes. That's how. Those stupid emails. That stupid Belgium, being so enticing. Why did she have to go after _her_? She had been perfectly happy obsessed with Ivan before this woman had come into her house. Now? Here she was, stuck in the car with Belgium... and dead _silence_. Not a single word. It was so painfully _awkward._ They had been here for twenty minutes and neither had a single clue of what to say. At first, Natalia had suggested turning on the radio, but Belgium had said that it was broken. Wasn't life just wonderful? How could she possibly think a date would be a good idea? The last time she had seen this woman in person, she had woken up in a hospital. Sure, she had enjoyed getting lunch with her after that, but right now, she was quite sure that this whole thing had been a completely awful idea.

Bella was panicking inwardly. How could this have happened? Shouldn't conversation with a love interest come easily to her? After all, _France_ had helped to raise her! She should be laughing and flirting shamelessly with the girl in the left side of her car. But no. Belarus seemed to have quite a bit of shame. And Bella could not think of anything to say. _What about the weather? Wait, the weather? That's so lame! You can do better than that! _Bella groped around wildly in her mind for some topic of discussion. _Russia? No! Do you want her to burst into tears again? Oh crap, she looks so uncomfortable! What the hell do I do? _

"You look nice today," Bella tried helplessly.

Natalia was startled to hear her voice after such a lengthy silence. "Euh... thank you." She was wearing the same dress she always wore. Even down to the bow. She looked the same. Was Belgium just as uncomfortable as her? Somehow, that relieved her a bit. At least she wasn't the only one. It was silent again. This was so mortifying. How could she think of nothing to say? Surely there was something at hand? "So... what kind of theme park is this?" _Yes, that's good. Get her talking. _

"Bobbejaanland?" Bella said, immensely relieved that she no longer had to think of what to say. "It's a roller coaster theme park. It's very famous, really."

Natalia brightened a bit at this. "Roller coasters? That sounds like fun."

"Oh, you like them? Good. I like them too but they scare the shit out of me."

Natalia smiled softly at the woman's language. Not many people dared to talk like that around her. "If they scare you so much then why do you ride them?"

Bella grinned. "For the thrill, of course. After I get off, it's like I've just beaten death."

Natalia considered this. Beating death, eh? She supposed that must be a pretty great feeling. "So you feel like you're going to die when you ride them?" Bella nodded, a small smile still on her face. "Hm. I guess I see what you mean."

"So why do you like them?" Bella inquired, determined to keep the conversation going.

Immediately, the girl answered, "They make me feel like I'm flying."

Bella looked over at her curiously. What a quick answer. "I suppose that is a good reason to like them," she replied after a moment. Natalia nodded, face straight ahead, a very small, dreamy sort of smile on her face. Bella let out a short, involuntary laugh when she suddenly remembered Natalia's original suggestion for their date. "So you like knives?" she asked in amusement.

The Belarusian blushed a bit. "I suppose so. They're sort of my hobby. I collect them."

"Most people collect stamps or rocks. Why knives?"

"Stamps and rocks can't protect you or get you what you want. They're completely useless." There was something rather hard in Natalia's tone, something which Bella had not really heard from the girl since they had first met.

"I guess you're right. They are more useful," she said tactfully. "How did you get into them, though?"

Natalia looked very seriously over at the woman. "I got into them to fight off Lithuania."

Bella sputtered at this. "What do you mean 'to fight off Lithuania'? Isn't that guy a total pussy? He doesn't have the courage to attack you does he?"

Natalia let out a small laugh at this. "No, I mean to keep him away from me. He is, as you _say_ 'a total pussy'. But he was in love with me for a long time and he kept trying to get me to join him in... whatever it is that he does."

Bella looked incredulously at the girl. "You collected knives to protect yourself because he... _liked_ you? Seems a bit harsh, don't you think?" Natalia just shrugged. "Damn, I'm glad you like me more," she muttered. Her date said nothing and looked away, but she could see a faint blush adorning her porcelain cheeks. _So Cute!_ Now she understood why Spain felt the need to comment every time Romano blushed.

The Belgian was left to ruminate over Natalia's adorableness for a couple of minutes of much more comfortable silence before she saw the sign indicating that she was nearing the theme park.

"Oh yay! We're here," Bella cheered. Natalia scoffed lightly at the woman's childishness. Noticing this, Bella turned to her date. "What?"

_Crap. Caught._ "N-nothing," the girl replied awkwardly.

Bella pulled into the parking lot. "What's so funny?" Was she _pouting _at her? Oh, God. She couldn't deal with this.

"I said nothing," Natalia said blankly, reaching to open her door.

But Bella quickly locked it. "No, seriously. What is it?" She was genuinely curious. Why wouldn't she tell her?

_Oh God, the way she's looking at me._ Natalia sighed in defeat. "I just think it's funny how childish you are," she shrugged. Bella raised an eyebrow. _Not going to apologize. It's true and you know it._

She was expecting some offended remark from the woman. But instead, she grinned. "You should try it sometime. It's more fun than you think." And she unlocked the door and the two stepped out.

The two began to make their way toward the gate and Bella decided it would be a good idea to link arms with her adorable date. _Crap, people are staring. This is not okay, _Natalia thought, and pulled her arm out of the other's grip. Other than looking like a kicked puppy, Bella did nothing, deciding that she was simply being too touchy with her. So they walked side-by-side through the gate and to the ticket booth.

"Two tickets, please!" Bella said cheerfully.

The man behind the booth looked at the woman and smiled. "Of course. €58."

Bella happily paid and set off towards the fun. _I should have brought some euros. But that's not my currency. Still, she shouldn't have had to pay for both of us._ Noticing Natalia hanging back, Bella turned to look at her. "Why are you frowning so? This is supposed to be fun!"

"Nothing, just thinking," Natalia said simply before catching up to the tall Belgian.

"Well, where do you want to start? Easy or hard?"

Natalia thought for a moment. "Let's start easy."

Bella grinned. "My thoughts exactly. Let's go!"

And easily they did start. Bella giggled uncontrollably at Natalia's sullen face on the first ride, the carousel. She looked positively humiliated sitting on the plastic horses, surrounded by children. They kept staring and poking at her and she was not used to this level of attention. In fact, she came very close to smacking one little boy while waiting in line before Bella intervened, asking him to go find his family.

The second ride, the Ferris Wheel, was much more to her tastes. It was not unusual for anyone to ride those, so no one stared at her. She smiled when Bella shrieked girlishly while leaning out to see how high up she was. "Don't look down if it scares you," she said, as if she were talking to a child, which she felt like she was.

"Where's the fun in that?" Bella grinned, recovered. Natalia just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Aw, I think this is the last go around," Bella whined. The other said nothing as the wheel made its final descent to the ground, where the two stepped out, already searching for the next ride. They began to head towards a small roller coaster, one which contained no loops. "Oh hey, let's go to that one!" Bella exclaimed, pointing at the ride.

"Looks good to-"

"Hey!" Bella interrupted indignantly. Natalia turned to see what had happened. A rather large man stood behind her date, his hand extended towards her backside, a nasty grin on his face.

Natalia's eyes narrowed dangerously at the man. "What did you just do?" she hissed venomously.

His grin grew wider. "Just bein' friendly!"

Within one second, Natalia stood right in front of the man, glaring up at him, her hand already on the knife she had hidden in her dress. The larger took a step back.

"Hey, what's your problem?"

At this, Natalia whipped out her knife and aimed it at his neck, fully ready to slit the pervert's throat. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the weapon.

"Belarus!" Bella cried, not wanting to cause a scene. Natalia ignored her.

She continued to scowl menacingly at the man. "What did you do?" she repeated.

His eyes bugged out of his head, so unsure he was of what had just happened. "Belarus, do _not_ hurt him," Bella ordered her authoritatively. "People will get scared."

_That's right, it would cause a scene. Fine._ "I won't kill you. But if you ever touch her again, I will not hesitate to slit your throat where you stand. Understand?" The man nodded wordlessly, very frightened by this terrifying young woman. "Get out of my sight," she spat. At that, he turned and ran off clumsily, eager to leave.

The two women stood in silence for a few moments before Bella stepped over to her date and hugged her silently. Surprised, Natalia did nothing at first, but when Bella did not release her, she tentatively wrapped her arms around the woman's shoulders. Bella pulled back and looked at the girl's face. "Don't kill people on my account, okay?" she said, sounding as if she were advising a child.

"I can't make any promises," she replied with a lopsided smile.

"Come on. Let's go on that ride now," Bella said, grabbing the girl's hand and dragging her toward the small coaster.

3 hours later

The two countries boarded the ride with a sort of cheerful solemnity. Highly elated, and yet entirely serious about the goal at hand. The mood was much like that of a professional football player who is just seconds from winning his team the World Cup. A sort of "last hurdle" mentality.

To them, this was it. The big one. Scratch that. The _really_ big one. The Typhoon. Bella was squirming with giddiness in her seat, her palms sweating and her body nearly ready for certain doom. Natalia was calm, a small, steady smile gracing her lips. The man told the passengers in French, Dutch, and German to remain seated and fasten their seatbelts. "Are you ready?" Bella grinned sideways at her date. But when the seats began to accelerate, she immediately grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

"What-?" began Natalia, but she was cut off when the ride suddenly lurched downward and Bella (along with most of the other riders) screamed hysterically, sounding as if she had just been thrown from a building. She held tighter to the girl's hand, squeezing as if, were she to fall, it could simply catch her. Feeling the other's death grip on her hand, Natalia laughed, her hair flying back wildly behind her head, then hanging limply through air when the ride stopped upside-down.

Natalia continued to giggle, completely elated. Bella, however, held tighter to her and demanded over and over that Natalia rescue her. Take her off this death trap. Kill her if you must, but remove her from this ride. She just laughed louder and held her sweaty hand tighter, a silent promise that she would not let the other fall. The ride had hurdled almost straight down before going right back up and launching into a series of loops and turns, Bella clinging desperately to her companion the whole way.

Then, just as quickly as it had started, it stopped. The ride screeched to a halt and the last roller coaster of their day was over. When they finally came to a full stop, Natalia stood up happily, adrenaline still pumping through her veins. But Bella sat still, shaking and breathing heavily.

_Wow, roller coasters really_ do _terrify her._ She stared at the taller woman for a few moments before holding out a pale, slender hand. "You've just beaten death. Congratulations, Belgium."

Bella looked slowly at the other. _Is she offering to help me up?_ Her brain was still mush from being thrown around. When the girl did not budge, Bella understood and gave a small smile to the one offering the hand, calmer now. Slowly, she took it, her fingers slipping shakily into the other's. She was promptly pulled up from her seat into a standing position. As she tried to step out however, Bella slipped, falling very conveniently into her date's arms.

She looked up at her face and they stood that way for several moments. Natalia's arms were wrapped loosely around the Belgian's hips. She had attempted to stop her fall by pulling her toward her body. Bella's arms held tightly to her neck, holding some of her weight. The rest of the woman's body was essentially smashed up against the other's, but their faces were very close together and Bella could see a dark blush on Natalia's countenance.

Their eyes were locked. _Is her face getting closer? _And then the space between them was closed. Neither knew who had closed it, and neither particularly cared. The kiss was sweet and Bella decided that Natalia definitely tasted like honey. Yet Natalia was sure that Bella tasted so unsurprisingly like chocolate that she could laugh. Their lips moved innocently against one another's for a few seconds before they broke apart, Natalia blushing profusely and Bella smiling, feeling something along the lines of triumph.

"It's Bella," she said quietly, standing up straight. Natalia gave the woman a questioning look. "My name. My human name. It's Bella."

Natalia blushed even darker. Generally the knowledge of human names was reserved for siblings and... significant others. Was she a significant other now? She had never been that before, but she rather liked the idea. "I-I'm Natalia," she muttered.

Bella giggled at the girl's bashfulness. "Nice to meet you, _Natalia_." With that, she grabbed the girl's hand and they set off to the car, ready to head off for dinner.

Wow, don't grab Bella's ass! Natalia is apparently _very_ possessive. Who knew. Anyway, review or Natalia will slit your throat! Just kidding. But seriously. Review. Please?


	8. Chapter 8

"So where are we going to eat?" Natalia asked, slipping into the passenger seat of Bella's car.

"Oh, just some place I know," Bella replied, waving her hand nonchalantly.

_She's paying. Again._ "Why are you paying for everything?"

Bella looked a bit surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I'm the one who asked to go on a date with _you_. Why are you paying? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Bella smiled at the girl. "Oh, you want to pay?" she asked innocently. "Do you have any euros?"

Natalia's mouth pressed into a thin line. "No, but-"

"Then I guess you'll have to pay some other way." Bella started up the car. Natalia stared at her, wondering what she could possibly mean. Her ideas were quickly becoming less and less pg-rated. The Belgian just grinned at the other's slowly widening eyes and said nothing, happy to let her mind run wild.

_Should I say something? I don't know if I can do... that. Not yet at least._ "Euh... Belgium?"

"Bella," she corrected her.

"Bella?" she restarted, blushing once again. "W-what exactly is 'some other way'?"

The tall blonde laughed airily at Natalia's hesitance. "Not what you're thinking, I promise." Natalia looked infinitely relieved at this and sighed. Bella laughed again. "No need to look so happy, Natalia!"

She blushed darker at this. "Th-that's not what I meant, i-it's just that-"

Bella giggled again. "Haha, don't worry about it. I understand."

Natalia just wanted to hide. _Way to make an ass of yourself, Natalia._ She folded her arms and stared absently out the window, quite embarrassed.

At the restaurant...

"All right, you can open your eyes now!"

Sighing at the childishness of having her eyes covered for the last ten minutes, Natalia slowly lifted her pale eyelids, only to be met by a small castle. Yes, a castle. Kasteel van Horst, to be specific. They stood in front of a large wooded door, which was fixed into the white and dark red of the brick walls that made up the building. Shrubberies lined the front. In the back, there was a beautiful, sparkling lake, which, at this time of day, shone slightly orange in the retreating sun. On the left side of the building was a rather impressive-looking tower section, which was white and ended in a point. There were many windows in the building and they were lined up along the walls in a blocky sort of fashion.

Natalia sputtered at the sight. "Wh-what? How-?_ This _is where we're eating!"

Bella grinned in response, very pleased at the Belarusian's reaction. "Yep. Well, do you like it?"

She whirled around. "We're eating in a _castle_?" Bella nodded. Natalia did not really know what to say. She had less than thirty castles in her entire country, and she could not remember any of them being open to the public as a restaurant. This was like a faery tale to her. And the good kind. She could not remember the last time she had felt as if her life was anything like a faery tale. She felt like a princess. It was a small castle, but still. She had never been taken to dinner on a date, nor had she ever seen a castle turned into a restaurant this way.

"Well?" Bella said through the silence of Natalia's thoughts.

"I-I... really like it. Euh... let's go inside." _There I go, making an ass of myself once again. Dammit, Natalia._

The Belgian just beamed at her and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the door, stomach empty and entirely ready to be filled. They entered the rather dim interior and were greeted in French by a slightly too cheerful woman in uniform, who found the reservation that Bella had made the day before. They were seated quickly in a cozy little corner which sat next to a window. Natalia felt as if she could look out that window onto the water for hours if she had wanted to. But there was something far more interesting sitting in front of her.

"What kind of food do they have here?" she wondered aloud.

"All kinds. Mostly French, but there are dishes from all around the world." She handed the smaller girl the menu which she had been given.

She looked over it. Good thing she could read French. "Wow," she breathed. "I can't say that I have ever tried French food."

Bella's eyes widened at this. "Are you serious? France is the best chef in the world, you have to try it!"

Natalia smiled at the other's enthusiasm. "I think I will, then."

"Ooh! What are you getting? I like this one!" The woman leaned over to point to the other's menu, essentially displaying her (rather sizable) chest to her. Natalia blushed and tried to keep her eyes on the menu.

"I think I'll try... this." She pointed to a random item.

Bella looked at her choice and frowned. "Euh... I don't think that's a good idea Natalia."

She twitched a bit at the use of her name. "Why not?" She still had not actually read the item to which she had pointed.

"That has cherries in it."

_Of course it does. Because I picked it._ "Oops. I guess I didn't read it right," she lied. Bella gave a little laugh and suggested a different dish, Coq au vin. Natalia decided that the chicken cooked in wine sounded satisfactory and agreed to order it. "What are you getting?" she asked Bella.

"A potée and Cassoulet. The potée is for us to share." _I wonder if it's weird for her to share her food with someone? She doesn't seem too freaked out yet, so that's good._

"Vous désirez, mademoiselles?" Came the soft voice of a tiny little waitress with mousy brown hair.

"Un potée, un cassoulet, un coq au vin, et une bouteille de vin, s'il vous plaît," Bella replied easily.

"Quelle sorte de vin?"

Bella considered this for a moment. "Couteaux du Layon, s'il vous plaît." The small woman nodded and scampered off to fulfill her orders. The blonde sighed and leaned back in her chair, her eyes locking onto her date's. "I think you'll like French food," she remarked casually.

Natalia nodded, believing her completely. She looked out the window again. The sun was nearly disappeared from the sky and its last rays glittered on the surface of the lake. It was beautiful. She felt as if she wouldn't mind being lost in the dancing light.

"You look so pretty like that," Bella commented, her head resting on one hand dreamily. _Like a princess._

The princess' cheeks were immediately dusted pink at the compliment. She thought about protesting, but found that she rather enjoyed being sincerely complimented. Not because she was scary, but because she was found to _actually be_ pretty. That had only ever happened with Toris, and this felt different. Because she actually _liked _the person who had said it. _Enjoyed _her company. _Wanted_ to see her. She smiled softly and looked at her companion, who was staring intently at her. "Thank you," she replied quietly, her voice smiling.

*Sigh*I'm sorry this is so short, but I ended up having to cut dinner in two. Forgive me? Anyway, I'll post the rest tomorrow. That offer of drawing a scene with Bella and Natalia is still open, and I would love to see some drawings from you guys. Review, et je vais vous aimer à jamais!


	9. Chapter 9

_She's so cute. Russia's an idiot._ Bella was watching Natalia attentively as she ate her potée. She could tell that the girl was embarrassed by her scrutiny, but she did not particularly care at the moment. She was quite content to observe the faces that she made as she tried to avert her eyes. Natalia's violet eyes would look up to check if she was still being looked at, see that she was, and immediately dart back to her food. They would stay there for a while before looking around the restaurant, searching for anything except Bella. And it would repeat over and over, Natalia not wanting to say anything. _Haha I wish she would blush more often. It's so adorable, I'd want to see it all the time. I can't wait for her 'payment'._

"_..._Why are you smiling like that?" Natalia finally spoke up and she squinted a bit, seeing her date's face light up with an amused grin.

"Eh? I was just thinking about how you can repay me for dinner," she replied bluntly.

Natalia's eyes widened a little. "I forgot about that. So waddaya want anyways?" she asked. She absently took a sip of her wine. It was almost gone now. She hoped it was nothing too difficult.

"Guess," came the playful reply.

"I'm n't guesssssing," Natalia drawled.

Bella pouted. "Aw, come on. Please?" Natalia just shook her head defiantly. She refused to play this childish game. Bella sighed. "Fine. But you have to find out later now."

"Th't's okay with me," Natalia shrugged, going back to her food.

Bella sighed again and put her head on her arm, which was draped rather messily across the table and looked at the various dishes which littered the dark wood. She had finished eating rather quickly. She had always been a fast eater. So much so that she often ended up bored when eating meals with others. Though it currently seemed impossible for her to be bored, considering the lovely specimen which was finishing her dinner at the moment. She put her head up lazily and sipped her wine again. This was her second glass, but it did not matter because when it came to drinking, she was a bit of a heavyweight. It happens when you grow up with Germany, the Netherlands, _and_ France. Driving home would be no problem whatsoever.

Natalia, on the other hand, was rather tipsy. She was down to the last of her third glass and she, despite her exposure to Ivan and his vodka, drank very rarely. And almost never this much. Maybe a sip or two of vodka. She had only had wine twice before now, and never more than one glass. She was not completely drunk yet, but was quite close to it. Her movements were sloppy, very unlike her usual graceful and precise motions. Even inebriated, though, she was still shy when Bella stared that way at her. However, she seemed to be getting over it a little more with every sip of the Couteax de Layon, which was nearly disappeared from her glass.

_Man, she's such a lightweight. She's pretty tight* already. I wonder if I can take advantage of this..._ "Hey Natalia?"

"Hmn?" the mentioned looked up from her now empty bowl.

_I don't think_ _she'll really care in this condition. Right? Right. _"What would you say if I told you I loved you?"

Natalia considered this for a moment, not really registering the implications. "I'd prob'ly ask why," she grunted.

_Why? _Huh. She hadn't really thought about that. Sure, Natalia was beautiful, but she knew that wasn't it. _She's different... she's so proud and stubborn. And possessive. _Really _possessive_. _But I think that's just how she shows her affection. And_ _she's actually really sweet. She was so worried about me paying for everything. I really think all that anger is a cover-up. She's always trying to be strong..._

"Well?"

"Eh? What?"

"I said I'd ask why. So why?"

"Why do I love you?"

Natalia rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. "Dah. That's what I asked, isn't it?"

Bella smiled. She really wanted to know, huh? "Because you're so sweet."

Natalia's eyes narrowed. "Sweet? Have you ever _met_ me?"

"How else would I know that you're sweet?"

"But... I'm... not." Natalia looked confused, as if Bella was speaking some language that she had never heard before.

"But you are," Bella insisted. The smaller girl looked extremely sceptical. "Weren't you upset that I was paying for everything?" Natalia just looked even more perplexed. The Belgian sighed, but continued. "You calmed me down after that ride. You got angry when someone else tried to touch me. You immediately forgave me for almost _killing_ you with _cherries_!"

"But those are different."

"How?" It was Bella's turned to look bewildered.

"'Cause it's you."

_What exactly is she saying? _"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Those things are all different. 'Cause I'm not like that with _other _people. Just..." Bella had leaned in close to her face. "You." she finished, gulping.

"And why is that?" Bella asked quietly, centimetres from the other's face.

"'Cause I love you too," Natalia answered simply. With that, Bella closed the space between their lips and tasted wine and chicken. It was a good thing this table was narrow, because Bella had to lean over everything to reach the blonde's face with her own. Their lips moved slowly against one another's for the second time that day, and were enjoying it rather thoroughly. Until they were interrupted, that is.

"Ahem," came the soft voice of the waitress.

Bella pulled back abruptly at the sound. "Oh, désolée," she said, blushing a bit.

"Voulez-vous l'addition maintenant?" the woman asked, suggesting very un-subtly that the two take their activities elsewhere.

"Oui, merci." Bella replied. The brunette nodded politely and scampered off to find the bill. _She really is a lot like a mouse. _"Do you want to go home now?" she asked, directing her attention to Natalia, who was pouting at the loss of contact which she had been so enjoying.

"No. I hate my house," she said glumly.

_She's very blunt when she's drunk, isn't she? _"Well... do you want to go home with me?" she asked hopefully.

Natalia stared at the woman. Was she serious? "...And do what?"

_Well, looks_ _like _that's _out of the question. Cover yourself, Bella. _"Sleep."

The Belarusian looked relieved. "Okay, but no sex yet, got it?" she slurred a bit, trying and failing to sound strict and authoritative.

_Wait, 'yet'? Score!_ "I promise," Bella said truthfully._ Not until she wants to._

"Voici l'addition, mademoiselle," the waitress said.

"Merci." Bella thanked her.

She quickly paid and helped Natalia, who was slightly dizzy and could not quite walk properly, to her car, which waited outside. It was quite dark outside now. Dinner had taken two hours. Bella checked her clock. 8.51. It was fortunate that she did not have to take Natalia all the way back to Belarus. That would take hours that the day no longer owned. The ride home was actually rather lively. Bella had asked Natalia what kinds of knives she liked. This prompted the tipsy young woman to go off on a surprisingly energetic rant about the best types of metals to make knives with. Bella had only been mildly interested, but enjoyed hearing the girl talking so much. It was unusual, and she wanted to savour it. After about an hour, they finally pulled up in front of Bella's sizeable house.

"Woah, this is where you live?" Natalia gasped, still impaired from the alcohol and therefore lacking her usual reservedness.

Bella laughed softly at her enthusiasm. "Yep. You'll be staying here tonight." At this, she grinned and got out of the car to help Natalia to the door. They went inside and Bella showed Natalia to the bedroom, deciding that she would take the couch.

"Wait!" Natalia said when the tall woman started to leave the room. She turned around. "Where are you sleeping?" she asked.

"The couch."

"W-well... I don't mind if y-you..." Natalia was wringing her hands, her shyness suddenly back.

"You want me to sleep with you?" Bella asked incredulously.

"I-if you don't mind!" the girl said, blushing and looking away. It wasn't that she actually wanted to _do_ anything. She was mostly just curious about what it would be like to sleep next to someone. And she didn't particularly want the Belgian to leave, as she had very much enjoyed her company today and had not once been struck by the urge to kill her. That was much more than she could say for most people. Even... even Ivan.

Bella smiled. _And she calls _me_ a child._ "Of course. Just let me get changed. I'll get you some bedclothes, too. But I don't really know if they would fit you." She began to dig in her dresser when the girl told her that it was fine if her clothes were too big. She picked out her smallest (non-lingerie) bedclothes and handed them to the girl, knowing full well that they would still be much to big.

"Euh... where is the washroom?" Natalia asked, not really willing to change in front of the woman at the moment. Bella pointed her in the right direction and they changed at the same time. Natalia came back shortly, dressed in Bella's bedclothes. _Oh God. _The clothes were indeed much too big for the girl. The light pink tank top hung loosely on her torso and the sleeves kept falling, causing her to pull them back up. The loose pants' tie had been pulled tight and tied, but the pants bunched out after the waist and the length of them covered Natalia's little feet and dragged on the floor.

Bella wore a loose, short-sleeved T-shirt which boasted her flag. She also had on comfortable blue shorts, which Natalia had to try not to stare at. It was like her legs never ended! "Well, I'm ready to sleep," Bella declared after a moment of silent staring.

"Y-yeah, me too." With that, the two slipped into the rather large, soft bed. Bella lay on the left and Natalia on the right, the two facing opposite directions. "G'night Bella," Natalia muttered when they had settled down.

The woman smiled inwardly. "Goodnight Natalia."

Who knew Natalia was so needy at night? Not me! No. *I'm not sure if tight still means the same thing. My English is a bit old. Here it means drunk. **Review dammit!** Romano, go away! Review dammit! Aha~ reviews make me happy. Also, check my profile! I have a fun poll. Sort of. But It's still a poll, so do it okay?


	10. Chapter 10

Lars strolled easily into his sister's house. She had long ago given him the key and he, being a bit of an early riser, often came over before she was even awake. He quietly opened the light front door and stepped inside. It was only 7.00, so he knew that his sister would still be asleep. Shutting the door behind him, Lars let himself into the house, heading off to the refrigerator. Bella, having a rather sizable appetite, always made sure to keep her food stocked up.

Pulling out some bread and nutella, he unceremoniously threw two slices of the bread in the toaster. Wondering where the coffee beans were, he began to look around. He searched the refrigerator first, then the cabinets before resorting to the pantry. Where was the coffee? She usually kept some for the mornings. He sighed, deciding to just ask her and then let her go back to sleep. Knowing her, she probably would.

Lars walked in the direction of his sisters bedroom. He was torn between two doors, not sure which one was hers, so he opened the one on the left. No. Just her office. He turned to the door on the right, but not before quickly putting some papers in order. She could be so disorderly sometimes. Opening the door, Lars peeked his head in. His face quickly changed from surprise to a knowing smirk when he saw his sister's bed. Bella was sleeping there. With Belarus. _Way to go, sis. Way to go._ He closed the door again quietly, deciding that he would be fine going without coffee this morning. He decided to spend some time watching television until his sister and her... girlfriend decided to get out of bed.

Bella smiled dreamily, still almost completely asleep. She wrapped her arms tighter around the soft warmth next to her. She breathed in deeply. _Mm, it smells so good. _She sat there for a moment longer before realising that the warmth was a _body_. She finally opened her eyes, only to be met with a mess of wheat blond hair. _Oh yeah, Natalia's here._ She smiled again at this, all too happy to have the girl in her arms. She laid there for several minutes before she felt the girl finally stir from her slumber.

Natalia yawned a bit before noticing her surroundings, at which she immediately stiffened. It was _daylight_. And there was someone behind her! She twitched when she felt the arms wrapped around her torso. She turned around slowly with a slightly terrified look on her face, only to find that moving her head made it ache. Bella laughed at the girl's awakening. _So cute she is, _thought Bella.

Memories of the night before were flooding Natalia's consciousness and she relaxed. _When did her arms get around me? And why is it light out? That's really strange. _

"Good morning," Bella said softly.

"Morning," the girl mumbled, her head still hurting a little bit. She grimaced at the sensation.

The Belgian noticed her face and laughed softly. "Headache?" Natalia just nodded. "Let me get you some pain reliever." Sighing, the woman released the little body beside her and climbed off the bed. "I'll be right back," she assured the girl, who, by the way, looked absolutely _adorable_ in the morning. She stepped out of her room into the hallway and made her way to the washroom. She pulled a small bottle out of the cabinet and walked toward the kitchen to get some water.

She was stopped, however, by Lars. "Hey, where ya going, sis?" he asked from the couch.

"Oh, hey. When did you get here?"

"About seven," he replied, getting up and strolling over to his sister.

"Oh. Was there something you needed?"

"Well, I was wondering if your room was cold last night."

"Cold?" she looked confused. "No, it was fine."

"Oh?" he raised a blond eyebrow. "So it was hot?"

Bella's eyes narrowed. "No. My room was not hot either."

"Oh, c'mon Bella. It had to have been hot or cold. So which was it?"

"It wasn't hot _or_ cold. More tepid really."

"Tepid?" he repeated. "Tepid is boring."

"Whatever you say. Now, if you'll excuse me, Na- Belarus has a headache."

"And why is that, Miss Tepid?" he asked, following her as she began to walk back to her bedroom where Natalia waited.

"Because she got a little drunk last night."

"How much is a little?"

"Little. She wasn't too bad, just a lightweight, is all. Now go away. She might try to stab you if she sees you," Bella said sarcastically, getting annoyed with her brother.

"Nope," he replied cheekily as she opened the door, revealing Natalia, who was sitting up on the bed, Bella's shirt hanging much too loosely on her body. She had been staring out the window, looking confused, but now she turned to face the two countries at the door.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw the man behind Bella. "Who are you?" she asked, not yet angry, but ready to lash out if need be.

"He smiled politely at her. Netherlands. Or Holland if you prefer."

"Lars, go away. You're just going to make her headache worse. Sorry about my brother. He comes in sometimes in the morning." Natalia sensed no deceit in either of them, so she silently let it go. "Here are the painkillers," Bella said, stepping in front of the girl and holding out the glass of water and two small pills.

"Thank you," Natalia said politely. She took the two pills and eyes the grinning man in the doorway warily. Suddenly, she remembered what she had wanted to ask. "Bella?"

_Woah, human name basis? Cool,_ thought Lars.

"Yes?" Bella replied, sitting next to the girl on her bed, ignoring her brother.

"What time is it?"

"Euh... I'm not sure. Lars?"

"It's about a quarter after eight," he replied, having been checking the time quite constantly since he had arrived.

"But that means... I don't remember..." Natalia trailed off.

Bella looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

The Belarusian looked up from her thoughts. "Nothing. It's just that... I don't remember waking up earlier."

"...I'm sorry. I'm lost."

_Oh right, she doesn't know that. _"Well, I usually wake up before dawn. It's really strange that I woke up so late."

"Up before dawn? Jeez, you're even worse than me," Lars said, causing Natalia to scowl at him. "Ehehe... I'm going to go watch some football."

"You do that, Lars," Bella told him, sounding only slightly amused. With that the man stepped out of the room. "So you really wake up before dawn?" Bella turned to the blonde, who nodded in response. "Why?"

"I don't know. It just happens," she shrugged. "It's been that way for as long as I can remember. At least as long as I've lived... with Ivan." She now looked uncomfortable.

"Well..." _This is probably a really stupid thing to suggest. _"You might sleep better if you stayed here. With me."

Natalia blushed at the thought of waking up to this woman every day. As much as she liked the idea, it seemed rather implausible. "I don't know if that's a good idea..." she said quietly.

"I know. You're right. But it would be nice wouldn't it?" Natalia nodded, keeping her head down, her face still rather pink. "I know I wouldn't mind waking up to such a pretty sight every morning." She smiled when she saw Natalia's thoughts flashing across her face. She leaned in. "You know, you never did pay me." Her voice was nearly a whisper now.

The girl looked into the other's eyes questioningly. "What was it you wanted?"

The tall woman grinned, leaning in closer so that their faces nearly touched. "Just a kiss," she said simply.

Natalia could feel the other's hot breath on her cheek. Wasn't it early for this? Oh, well. She didn't care. "Okay." And then she closed the distance between them again, her lips entirely ready to pay for dinner. She could feel the woman smiling against her lips. She leaned into the kiss, all too happy to get more into it. Their lips eagerly slid against one another until a small, involuntary sound came from Natalia's mouth.

Noticing the girl's keenness toward this, Bella decided that she would take this a step further. She pulled back suddenly and watched Natalia's eyes fly open in surprise. She grabbed the girl's arm and in one swift motion, she was straddling her lap. Natalia's legs were on either side of Bella's and she was sitting on her lap, their faces quite close again. A new blush adorned Natalia's pale features at this position, but she leaned forward again nonetheless.

She wrapped her slender arms around the woman's neck and pressed her lips to hers. Bella held the girl's lower back, pushing her body just a little closer. Their lips moved against one another hungrily, the occasional whimper coming from both of them. Bella decided to deepen the kiss, running her tongue along the girl's bottom lip, silently asking for entry, which she was happily granted. Natalia moaned rather loudly as their tongues danced together, causing Bella to smile once again against the girl's mouth. _So vocal._

Back in Bella's living room, Lars was trying very hard not to listen to his sister and her girlfriend making out, but when he heard Belarus moan like that, he decided that it was definitely time for him to leave before problems arose.

Oh, Holland. I'm sorry. Not really. But this is really strange for me to write. I don't really know so well how people kiss intensely. I've only had a few pecks. But that is beside the point. Review and Bella will bring you painkillers when you're hung over! Also, make sure to take the fun poll on my profile because I really want to see what you guys think. And that drawing... I have gotten no drawings and it makes me sad.


	11. Chapter 11

The first day of the fourth month after that, Bella woke up feeling excited. She smiled when her eyes opened and she immediately threw on a suit fit for a World Meeting. Today was the day, and she was going to enjoy every one of the other countries' shocked faces. Well, aside from the few who already knew. But as far as she was aware, they had told no one.

Natalia opened her eyes with an uneasy sort of half-smile on her face. She was glad to finally be able to tell everyone. (And possibly move in with Bella, if things went their way.) But she was also nervous as to what the reactions would be. After all, she was Russia's psychopath sister, and that was the rest of the countries' general view of her.

It had actually been Natalia's idea, and she had insisted that she do it. In the middle of last month, she had informed Bella that Russia seemed to be constantly on edge when he never used to be. When Bella had asked her why, she had responded quite seriously with, "He thinks I'm going to drag him away in the night." Bella had howled with laughter at this, still not totally aware of the severity of Natalia's past obsession with her brother. "What if we told the World at the next Meeting?" Bella had nodded (after her laughing fit ceased) and agreed that it was a good idea.

She had volunteered to tell them, but Natalia had refused, saying that they were more likely to believe it coming from the one from whom they would not expect it. And so it was agreed. Natalia would at the next World Meeting, tell her fellow countries that she and Belgium were going to be having a civil (not political) marriage.

…

This particular Meeting was being held in Sweden, who was currently standing in front of a very intimidated room full of countries. _So much for trying to smile._ "All r'ght. L't's beg'n." Silence. The tall man began to clear his throat, but was interrupted by a rather quiet voice, which sounded exceedingly nervous.

"Actually, I must make an announcement before we begin." The attention of the entire room was shifted to the normally deadly silent country of Belarus. She blushed quite heavily, very uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the others. She sputtered a bit before she felt a warm, familiar hand slipping into hers beneath the table. She glanced over at a beaming Bella, who was mouthing that she would be fine. She took a deep breath. "Belgium and I… are getting married. Civilly, of course" she said finally.

There were many reactions that she saw. France smirked, looking very proud of himself. England also smiled, but just a little. America looked like he was about to die of over-excitement. Can-Can… someone was trying to calm him down by grabbing his hand. Russia looked extremely suspicious while Prussia laughed obnoxiously in his ear. The Baltics looked as if they had just been given the answer to a horribly difficult riddle. Sweden still looked like he was going to kill someone. Spain was whispering something in Romano's ear, which seemed to be making him blush. Italy was tugging excitedly on Germany's sleeve. Germany looked rather sceptical. Ukraine was crying, of course. None of the Asian or South American countries really seemed to care. Most of the African countries were smiling obliviously. Most of those outside of Europe and North America (only because she had worked there for a time) were unfamiliar with the countries of Belgium and Belarus, so they did not really grasp the change in Natalia.

Loud chatter very quickly spread throughout the room.

"Awesome!"

"Ahaha, go Bella!"

"That's impossible!"

"Don't say stuff like that, you bastard! There are _people_ here dammit!"

"Who's Belgium? Lemme check my map!"

"Alfred, that's just a map of _your_ country. She's not on it eh?"

"Ah, mon amie, I knew you could do it!"

"Vee~ Ludwig, isn't that sweet?"

"Of course, Italy."

"You are not lying, da?"

Natalia smiled at the commotion with which yet another World Meeting would likely be wasted. But she was happy. And judging by her fiancée's face, so was she.

Short. And late. I'm so sorry. But there will be sequels, so look out for them. They won't start tomorrow, but most likely sometime this week. First one will involve Prussia and Russia. Review please! Also, take my poll! Only five people have voted. What?


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